Manchester United scout claims £18m star can become 'one of the world's best'

Manchester United goalkeeping scout Tony Coton (Picture: Manchester United)

Manchester United goalkeeping scout Tony Coton believes Senne Lammens has all the talent to become ‘one of the world’s best’.

Lammens joined United in an £18million move from Royal Antwerp on deadline day last summer after the Red Devils opted against pursuing a deal for Aston Villa ‘keeper Emiliano Martinez .

The 23-year-old had made just 88 appearances in senior football before his move to Old Trafford , but has hit the ground running since being installed as first-choice under Ruben Amorim .

Lammens has continued that fine form under Michal Carrick, with his aerial presence and shot-stopping ability a key factor in United’s rise up the table and into the Premier League ’s top four.

And United scout Coton, who was instrumental in bringing Lamens to the club, believes the Belgian could become an elite goalkeeper if he continues on his current path.

‘He’s got all the tools and the mental capacity to cope with it all as we’ve seen,’ Coton told Inside Carrington .

‘From a goalkeeping point of view, I don’t want to compare him to anyone else. He is Senne Lammens and he is himself.

Senne Lammens has impressed since arriving at United (Picture: Getty)

‘If he keeps working as hard as he is doing and we get those little things tidied up, he can be one of the world’s best. I’m sure he can.’

But while Lammens arrived in the Premier League as a relative unknown, Coton said the Belgian had been on his radar for well over half a decade.

‘He first came onto my radar at Brugge in 2019,’ he added. ‘I saw him play for Belgium under-17s, obviously very raw and we didn’t think it was the right time to do anything.

Lammens has helped Michael Carrick’s side into the top four (Pictur: Getty)

‘So I followed him from there. We didn’t think he was ready to come, but we’d just keep abreast of it.

‘I saw his progress at Brugge and then, obviously, he went to Antwerp. When he broke in, it was just a matter of how long do you leave it?’

On the decision to sign him last summer, Coton added: ‘Obviously, we’d done all the due diligence and everything, and we went to present to him why we think it’s the right time to move, and he had interest from a lot of clubs in Europe.

‘I just wanted to see his concentration levels, if, when I’m talking, is he looking elsewhere? Is he looking at the video still and this, that, and the other?

‘And he was just locked in. He was just locked onto me, and I’m thinking, yeah, he’s got a real focus.

‘They [the staff] asked me: ‘Could he go straight into the team?’ I said: ‘Yes. Straight away. I’v got no qualms about him going into the team if needed.’